


Sit Down and Have Some Tea

by TheDarkFlygon



Category: Original Work
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Affection, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, France (Country), Gen, Homecoming, Sibling Love, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 21:29:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12826482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon
Summary: It was nice to see her mom again, talk about all the stuff that had happened in both of their lives.But then someone else decides to come home, and Flavie is the most shocked she could had been in the past years.





	Sit Down and Have Some Tea

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set in 2011, which means the end of the PDV 0 L Period, right after François essentially gets his Master degree teaching exam.   
> While you usually know him as his 29-year old self, he's 22 in this.   
> Flavie is 26 in this story, if you wondered.

“What’s wrong, mom?” she asked from the living room.

“Your brother reminded me of… something I had forgotten about.”

“The high school finals? I’m sure Tom’s gonna make it out. He’s a clever kid, mom.”

“No, not that, huh… The agrégation results.”

“…Oh.”

 

An uncomfortable silence settled in as her mom brought in the living room a trail with two cups, a teapot and a jar of honey. She sat down and poured them both the steaming liquid.

“It’s been years since we’ve last seen him… Do you have any news of him?” a sad face mused, looking at the steam.

“No, not at all… It’s like he vanished from existence as soon as he reached that goddamn school three years ago…”

“Do you think he…”

“Mom. I refused to think he’s dead. I’m sure he managed to do something with this witty brain of his. Why do you bring this up now anyway? I… thought it was forbidden to talk about him.”

“Your father wants to hunt him down to repay him his student loan debts. The ones for his dorm allocations and books.”

“Dad’s always been an ass to him. I’m not surprised.”

“Flavie, your language!”

 

They drank in silence, before sailing to happier topics. She was so glad she was able to tell her mom about her latest medical adventures: the new hospital she studied in, how she met her newest friend Chloë, her mentor’s newest jokes… Speaking about the recent past felt nice.

“He always has this… smooth talk to him, when you tell me about Lucien. He’s truly a man I wish I could meet! I bet he’s as handsome as you make him out to be.”

“He’s dating, mom.”

“I’m a married woman, Flavie. I would never cheat on your father.”

 

The doorbell broke their conversation, to Flavie’s intense dismay. She said she was opening the door, allowing her mom to finish her cup of tea, made her way in the corridor and opened the goddamn entrance door.

“What can we do for…”

Her voice came to a halt. She blinked furiously.

“…you….”

 

The medical student stepped back, hands over her mouth, eyes tearing up. This wasn’t possible. This was just an illusion, or some kind of ill-intentioned prank pulled on her family. This couldn’t be real. She rubbed her eyes.

“Hey, huh, Flavie… You don’t recognize me?”

The man before her scratched his beard, looking away, before taking off his glasses and cleaning them off with his jacket’s fabric. He put them back on and resumed his chatter.

“I didn’t know you were here today! Mom’s here? And Tom? And Lulu?”

 

Flavie remained speechless, voiceless, as if her vocal cords had been cut off as soon as her eyes met with his.

“F… Fran… is that really you…?” she managed to squeeze out.

“Of course it’s me! Did I change that much since then? I _guess_ it’s been a while since I last came home…”

She regained her composure and snapped herself back in place.

“It’s been _three years_! _Three whole years_! You didn’t even have a beard last time I saw you! Don’t stay here, enter, you idiot.”

 

He laughed her insult off and entered, as she closed the door behind them and brought him to the living room.

“It’s just as it was last time I was here, packing my stuff for Paris again…” he whispered to himself.

“Of course it is. Three years isn’t so long for the house. However, I don’t think mom’s going to be very happy about this. You haven’t called her for literally years, not even to warn us.”

“Flavie,” a voice came out of the kitchen, “who is it? Do I need to get out a third cup?”

“Yeah, please do. We’re having a special guest today.”

 

She glared at her brother.

“You’re lucky there’s only mom and me here. Tom and Lulu are at school and dad’s away for a few days for work. He would have killed you on the spot. I don’t really know why you haven’t called. Did you break your phone and didn’t have money to buy another?”

“I didn’t know if it was still the same phone number. I had no way to check.”

“Oh, right, dad asked for our number not to be on the yellow pages. I guess that half-excuses your neglectful face.”

 

They made their way onto the living room, only for their mother to almost drop the cup she was holding. Her now shaking hands gently put on the table the fragile teacup and walked in small steps to him, her eyes filled with water.

“Is… is this really you… François…?” she whispered, putting a hand on his chest.

He seemed a bit panicked, taken aback by how emotional his mom was.

“Y-yes, it’s me…”

 

The old woman rolled her arms around him, clogging onto him, as if she was going to lost him as soon as she would let him go. Her son simply returned her hug, allowing his shoulders to lose their stiffness. She gave his cheek a kiss before partially letting him go, cupping his face onto her hands.

“You grew up so much, honey… I can’t believe my boy is all grown-up now…”

“M-mom…”

She scratched his beard a little.

“You haven’t shaved in ages, am I wrong?”

“I didn’t have time to, but I like it, so… I think I’m gonna keep it.”

“Uncle Baptiste shouldn’t have bet you were going to be hairless forever.”

 

A small giggle escaped both their mouths, before her demeanour lost some of its bliss.

“You look exhausted…” she whispered, eyes examining his face.

“No, I’m just…” a yawn interrupted his sentence midway through. “A bit tired…”

“Did you just jump straight into a train and came to visit us? Your luggage is still in the entrance laying like a rag doll” Flavie said in a nonchalant tone.

He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

“Oh, right, I had to ask…”

“Of course you can stay for the night! You’re home here!” his mother interrupted him, patting his shoulder while standing on her toes.

 

François simply smiled before yawning again.

“You haven’t replied to me. Did you just jump straight into a train?”

“Kind of? I took the first opportunity possible to come here…” he replied, finally putting his glasses back on.

“It shows. You sound like you haven’t slept for days” his sister replied, feeling her worry bubble down her stomach again.

He laughed again, before muffling a cough.

“It’s been a while since I allowed myself a full night of sleep, that’s true…”

“Why don’t you sit down with us?” their mom proposed. “We can all talk about what we have to talk about around a nice cup of tea.”

“Sure thing!”

 

They all sat down and she poured them all a cup of tea, still hot enough for steam to fill their atmosphere. He let out a yawn again, then two, and before they knew it, he was half-asleep in front of his cup, dangerously nosing off over it.

“Fran, you’re alright? You should at least take a nap” said his sister as she waved his hand in front of his face.

He jumped, as if he had been startled, and smiled at her.

“Y-yeah, I’m just tired, exams ended not so long ago and the results have been stressing me out… Oh, that reminds me, I don’t think I’ve told you yet!”

“What do you have to tell us about, François?”

 

A large grin formed on his face, his shoulders rose and he put a hand on his chest.

“I got my agrégation!”

“Wait, you even _attempted_ it?! I knew you were a genius kid, but it’s like nothing can stop you!” Flavie yelled back, eyes popping out of their sockets.

“I’m so proud of you…” their mom simply mused, looking at her son her glaze full of happiness.

“I can’t wait to tell Tom and Lulu, they’re going to be so impressed by their big brother!”

 

He leant back in his chair, his smile not losing any of its size, even if his eyelids seemingly closed on their own to the point he was blinking himself awake.

“You should at least take a nap, Fran. It sounds like you’re running out of battery over there.”

“Not when it’s the first time I have time to come say hello… In years…”

“Your sister is right, you need to rest. It’s almost heart-breaking to see you being so exhausted…”

“I’ve pulled through worse, mom, I swear it’s okay… I’ll just go to bed early tonight…”

 

His sister’s hand made its way on his forehead, as he blinked out of surprise, if his hanging mouth was any hint.

“You’re running a fever… You’re sure you’re all right?” she asked.

“Oh, it may be slight overworking. That happened right after I finished my ENS entrance orals… I guess it’s just because I can finally relax…”

“You’re going to bed right now.”

“B-but mom…!”

“You’re going to bed right now, François Bannaire. No question asked.”

 

Frightened by his mother’s stern tone, he reluctantly got up, only to stumble on his own feet. In a swift move, Flavie got up from her own seat and threw her arms in his direction, catching her little brother in his fall.

“Gee, you feel as fragile as ever. It’s surprising you even made it here.”

“I have… more stamina… than you think… Hehe…”

His head dropped, light snoring ensuing. She sighed as she put him up on her back.

“Yeah, he’s all burnt out. Let’s bring him to his room.”

 

As she walked up the stairs, Flavie whispered to herself:

“You’ve really grown up, Fran.”

**Author's Note:**

> -François and Flavie both refer to an insanely difficult to get competitive teaching exam, the "agrégation". The fact François managed to get it is what impresses his sister and mother.  
> -They also refer to the ENS (Ecole Normale Supérieure) of Paris-Ulm, a prestigious and difficult-to-get college-like school. The fact François is an ENS alumnus (as in, he attended class there and stuff) shows he's actually not as naive and clumsy as he looks to be. He's just a airheaded dork.  
> -The Bannaire family lives not-so-far from Paris, as they live around Orléans. However, they come from a rather poor social field.
> 
> The Bannaire siblings, dates and age (PDV III HKH/2017):  
> -Flavie : 1984, 33  
> -François : 1988, 29  
> -Thomas (Tom) : 1991, 26  
> -Lucile (Lulu) : 1994, 23


End file.
